Month: August 2020

Woman daydreaming as she looks at a beautiful sunset.

Reducing the Stigma of Mental illness

Mournful Monday…

 

I am usually an upbeat type of person but today I sat through several presentations on how COVID-19 has impacted our children and their caregivers. The information was limited to North Carolina but the speakers stated that we are following the trend seen across the country.

 

The number of child abuse cases, suicide cases and how many are reporting signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety is increasing. The number of ‘accidental discharges’ from firearms has increased. Behind this is an increase in the accidental overdoses of medications with opioids being the number one medication that is used.

How fitting that today is International Overdose Awareness Day. I am lifting hugs and prayers to those of you who have lost loved ones to this.

 

This is not a new concern to those of you living with others who have been struggling with these issues or who work in this field. Being isolated in our homes and not being able to interact with others is going to cause these type of issues to worsen. Most of us are social butterflies and even those introverts among us crave more human interactions.

 

Reducing the stigma of mental illness by talking about mental health in an open manner needs to be a family affair. You have to be able to confide in one another without being shamed so that you or your loved ones can engage with care in a timely manner.

 

You need to be able to have open conversations with your children and other family members so if one of their friends ‘cries out for help’, they will know that they can reach out to someone to get them the care that they need. They need to know that they can come to you if they need help.

 

What if it is you who needs the help? Have you hit the end of your rope? Do you have someone to confide in?

 

You may have taken over caring for your elderly parent or other family members. Do you have a support team in place to give you a break?

 

You cannot help others if you are not taking care of your personal needs. For some, daily doses of selfcare may be enough. 30 minutes a day of ‘me time’ may keep you from lashing out at your loved ones.

 

‘Me time’ may not be enough. Then what?

 

The good news is that there is even more money being funneled to community programming and treatment centers to help counteract these issues. You may have lost your insurance and feel like you don’t have any options. Traditional practices have adopted telehealth visits and this makes care available in every state.

 

If you don’t know where to start or who to call, click on the link below. I am sharing the National Hotline Number 1-800-662-HELP (4357) for you to store or use. They can assist you with finding a location near you or can direct you to an agency who can assist regardless of your ability to pay.

 

I have a special request or call to action for you today.

 

Pick up your phone and text/call/FaceTime/Whatspp/Skype someone who lives alone or is an elderly friend or parent. Your voice may be the only one they hear today.

 

Let’s work together to break the cycle.

 

 

Compound Interest Is Your Friend

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It’s Money Monday!

So I had someone ask why their daughter should start contributing to her retirement plan at age 21.

The answer? Compound interest!

There are all kinds of charts that will show you how investing small amounts consistently over time will give you the returns you need to retire comfortably.   Compound interest is your friend.

I wasn’t able to begin investing for my retirement until 15 years after I graduated from high school in 1980.  I didn’t pass the poverty threshold of $12,490 until I was 10 years beyond my high school graduation. It was another 5 years before I was employed in a group practice and actually began contributing to something other than social security.  A 401K?  What is that?

When we first sat down to begin educating ourselves, it was pretty daunting. They gave us the advise of projecting how much we would need if we wanted to live off 80% of our salary. The advice has drastically changed over the last 20 years but most of the financial gurus that I follow now say you are financially independent if you have 20-25X of your projected annual expenses in your savings/retirement accounts.

So I started late, but now, at age 58, I can quit working if I choose to. We choose to live way below our means so we could pay off over $150K in student loans, save for our three kids college expenses and save money for ourselves. We invested in stocks. We used a budget until we didn’t need to.

So my point? It is never too late to begin this process. By starting in your early 20s, you will have time on your side and you can rely on compound interest to help you reach your goals. Compound interest is your friend. 

Celebrating a New Start After Graduating From College

Congratulations to all of our new college grads on beginning their new jobs. I feel like a proud mama watching my daughter and her friends achieve this milestone. They are moving to new cities and establishing new homes. What advice can we share with them? What advice can we share with any of our friends who are returning to the workforce?  Let us share their excitement as we begin celebrating a new start after graduating from college.

Here are 12 things that I would tell you if you were my child. Following some or all of these recommendations will ensure that you become financially independent. The goal at the beginning is to keep as much money in your pocket as you can.

• Continue to live like a poor college student for as long as you can.

• Learn how to cook.

• Do not buy a new car or lease a car. If your car needs to be replaced, buy a used car.

• Continue to rent.

• Become financially literate.

• Plan a budget and live below your means.

• Sign up for any employer match retirement programs.

• If allowed, stay on your parent’s health and dental insurance (until you are 26 years old.) Sit down and review what your parent’s premium cost is with and without you. Most plans have a flat ‘family rate’. Figure out what your portion of this is and pay this premium to your parents instead of your company’s plan.

• If your employer’s health insurance cost is zero to you, you may want to take the benefit and use your parent’s plan as your secondary insurance.

• If this is not an option, sign up for an employer HSA if it is offered especially if the employer makes a contribution to help fund it.

• Do not sign up for the ‘extra’ employer benefits during your first year. You do not need long-term care, cancer insurance, whole life insurance, or whatever other ‘benefit’ they are offering. Contain your costs and hoard your money. As you educate yourself, you can decide what other benefits you truly need. Remember that the company representatives are there to sell you something.

• Pick up a side hustle and pay down your college debt as fast as you can.

What advice would you give your 22 year old self? Share your advice in the comments below.

Time to Set Your August Health Goals

It is time to set your August health goals.  It is the beginning of a new month and the end of summer is in sight. ?

It is time to review and focus on your health goals. Think about the preventative care topics that you have been reviewing. What appointments need to be scheduled? Remember that Telehealth is the new norm. What habits did you begin last month that you want to continue to work on?  What do you want to begin focusing on this month?

Setting goals if important but writing them down and posting them where you can see them every day increases the chance that you will make it happen.

Here are some ideas from our members from last month and a few of mine:

  • eat less carbs
  • cut back on sugar
  • walk more
  • add a mile to your walking session
  • stick to your work’s wellness activity
  • schedule your next wellness check appointment
  • schedule your next dental cleaning appointment
  • schedule your mammogram
  • work on increasing your water intake until you are drinking half of your weight each day (in ounces)
  • begin a walking program and work your way up to 30 minutes a day
  • explore meditation
  • start reading nutrition labels
  • eliminate artificial sweeteners
  • eliminate soda or sugar drinks
  • eliminate meat from one meal a day
  • eliminate one ‘bad habit’
  • keep a food diary
  • drink less alcohol

As you can see, there are many ways to become healthier. The list is endless. You get to decide what is most important to you. Pick 5 things to focus on this month. Yes, 5! Whether it is improving on the ones you chose last month, a combo of old and new or 5 new ones, it doesn’t matter.  It is a series of baby steps as this is a lifelong journey.

So take your pen, pencil or computer out and start writing this down.  Research this.  What steps can YOU take to make a difference this month? Make the time to set your August health goals.

Just as the picture shows, your journey doesn’t have to be perfect. You just have to be making daily progress.